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Sri Lanka scraps Tamil national anthem at Independence Day

Kailash Kumar

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Sri Lanka scraps Tamil national anthem at Independence Day

4 Feb 2020

Sri Lanka's new government declined to sing the national anthem in Tamil, the country's second national language, during the island's Independence Day celebrations on Tuesday, a departure from the previous government which sang the anthem in the country's two primary languages to promote ethnic harmony in the aftermath of a decades-long civil war.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was elected last year largely with votes of majority Buddhist Sinhalese.

Minority Tamils overwhelmingly voted against him. Gotabaya was a top defence official in the civil war and played a major role in defeating the rebel Tamil Tigers.

Thousands of ethnic Tamil civilians were killed or went missing in the war which ended in 2009.

The country's 72nd anniversary of independence from Britain was celebrated in the capital, Colombo, with military parades and air shows.

Gotabaya said in his speech that he is the president of all communities, reiterating a sentiment he made in his elections speech.

"I have the vision that I must serve as the leader of the country looking after all citizens rather than serve as a political leader concerned only about a particular community," he said.

"As the President today, I represent the entire Sri Lankan nation irrespective of ethnicity, religion, party affiliation or other differences," Rajapaksa said.

Gotabaya supporters opposed singing the national anthem in the Tamil language during the previous administration.

Tamil politicians had requested Gotabaya to continue the practice of singing the Tamil translation of the national anthem recognised by the constitution in order to give the Tamil community a sense of belonging to the country after decades of estrangement with the state.

At a separate location a group of civil activists from both Sinhala and Tamil communities sang both versions of the anthem in a show of support for the Tamils.

Tamil Tiger rebels fought a 26-year civil war to create an independent state for ethnic Tamils, complaining of systemic marginalisation by the Sinhalese majority-controlled state since independence.

Sri Lankan troops crushed the rebels in 2009 with Gotabaya playing a key role as a defence bureaucrat in the government led by his brother, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Mahinda currently serves as the prime minister.

According to conservative United Nations estimates, about 100,000 people were killed in the civil war.

Both the government and the rebels were accused of committing serious human rights violations.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...-anthem-independence-day-200204103334093.html
 
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Sri Lanka scraps Tamil national anthem at Independence Day

4 Feb 2020

Sri Lanka's new government declined to sing the national anthem in Tamil, the country's second national language, during the island's Independence Day celebrations on Tuesday, a departure from the previous government which sang the anthem in the country's two primary languages to promote ethnic harmony in the aftermath of a decades-long civil war.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was elected last year largely with votes of majority Buddhist Sinhalese.

Minority Tamils overwhelmingly voted against him. Gotabaya was a top defence official in the civil war and played a major role in defeating the rebel Tamil Tigers.

Thousands of ethnic Tamil civilians were killed or went missing in the war which ended in 2009.

The country's 72nd anniversary of independence from Britain was celebrated in the capital, Colombo, with military parades and air shows.

Gotabaya said in his speech that he is the president of all communities, reiterating a sentiment he made in his elections speech.

"I have the vision that I must serve as the leader of the country looking after all citizens rather than serve as a political leader concerned only about a particular community," he said.

"As the President today, I represent the entire Sri Lankan nation irrespective of ethnicity, religion, party affiliation or other differences," Rajapaksa said.

Gotabaya supporters opposed singing the national anthem in the Tamil language during the previous administration.

Tamil politicians had requested Gotabaya to continue the practice of singing the Tamil translation of the national anthem recognised by the constitution in order to give the Tamil community a sense of belonging to the country after decades of estrangement with the state.

At a separate location a group of civil activists from both Sinhala and Tamil communities sang both versions of the anthem in a show of support for the Tamils.

Tamil Tiger rebels fought a 26-year civil war to create an independent state for ethnic Tamils, complaining of systemic marginalisation by the Sinhalese majority-controlled state since independence.

Sri Lankan troops crushed the rebels in 2009 with Gotabaya playing a key role as a defence bureaucrat in the government led by his brother, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Mahinda currently serves as the prime minister.

According to conservative United Nations estimates, about 100,000 people were killed in the civil war.

Both the government and the rebels were accused of committing serious human rights violations.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020...-anthem-independence-day-200204103334093.html

SL society is again in the hands of Indians, only a matter of time before civil wars begin again between Tamils and Sinhala.

By attacking SL Muslims and distancing itself from China and Pakistan, SL proves that it cannot escape this future.

Pity.
 
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Sri Lanka is now becoming Sinhala Buddhist state by ignoring and attacking it's Tamil and Muslim minorities, First the Sinhala Buddhist elite encouraged Bodu Bala Sena to attack Muslims and now Tamil are next target. Pakistan helped Sinhala majority to defeat Tamil Tigers to restore united Sri Lanka.
 
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Tamils are welcome to sing the Indian national anthem in Tamil. That's where they come from.
You can also sing Indian national anthem it's in Bengali, that's where Sinhalese people come from.
 
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You can also sing Indian national anthem it's in Bengali, that's where Sinhalese people come from.


Really? Where were the Sinhalese kingdoms with Sinhalese speaking people in India?

Make Sinhalese an official language of India then.
 
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Really? Where were the Sinhalese kingdoms with Sinhalese speaking people in India?

Make Sinhalese an official language of India then.
No need. Just look at your genetic makeup. You didn't land from the moon, just like Tamils, you came in to this land at some point in history.
And bugger off.
 
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No need. Just look at your genetic makeup. You didn't land from the moon, just like Tamils, you came in to this land at some point in history.
And bugger off.

Nope. The Sinhalese identity and the Sinhalese language developed entirely in Sri Lanka. Both completely unique to Sri Lanka. Unlike Tamil. Tamils are welcome to bugger off back to their Tamil Country (Tamil Nadu).
 
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What Sri Lanka will gain by doing this except more ethnic tensions?
 
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What Sri Lanka will gain by doing this except more ethnic tensions?


The previous government pandered to Tamil politicians and started this in 2016. It's not an established tradition at all.

One country one anthem. Not one country, two anthems.

It would be another story if they wanted to include Tamil lyrics in the national anthem alongside Sinhalese (one anthem). But that's not the case.

Should Pakistan have a national anthem in Urdu as well as one in Punjabi, one in Saraiki, one in Sindhi, one in Balochi, one in Kashmiri, one in Pashto?
 
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Nope. The Sinhalese identity and the Sinhalese language developed entirely in Sri Lanka. Both completely unique to Sri Lanka. Unlike Tamil. Tamils are welcome to bugger off back to their Tamil Country (Tamil Nadu).
Don't care what you developed out there. You taking a pot shot at Tamils for arriving from India is as same as you Sinhalese who arriving from India a few centuries back. Give time and Tamils will have an identity distinct from Indian Tamils.
 
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Don't care what you developed out there. You taking a pot shot at Tamils for arriving from India is as same as you Sinhalese who arriving from India a few centuries back. Give time and Tamils will have an identity distinct from Indian Tamils.

Tamils are from (what is today known as) India. Their language and identity developed entirely in India. They invaded the island and tried to steal Sinhalese land and claim it as their own. Didn't work out well for them. They are welcome to do whatever the f**k they want in their Tamil Country (Tamil Nadu), including singing the Indian national anthem in Tamil.

The Sinhalese never arrived in Sri Lanka from India as a people. Their language and identity developed ENTIRELY in the island. The island was known as Simhala in the past.

0f2f8d5d3ae43bf903d47af9d31c9ef3.gif
 
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The Sinhalese never arrived in Sri Lanka from India as a people. Their language and identity developed ENTIRELY in the island. The island was known as Simhala in the past.
Right, they arrived as aliens.

Genetic_admixture_of_Sinhalese_by_Papiha.png
 
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